1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to memory devices, and more specifically, to optoelectronic memory devices.
2. Related Art
A memory cell in a typical semiconductor memory device usually comprises one or more transistors and can store one of two possible values depending on the voltage potential of a certain node of the memory cell. For instance, the memory cell can be considered storing a 1 if the node is at 5V and storing a 0 if the node is at 0V. As a result, the memory cell is an electronic memory cell. In order to write the electronic memory cell, an appropriate voltage potential is applied to the node (or another node) of the electronic memory cell. In order to read the content of the electronic memory cell, the voltage potential of the node (or another node) of the electronic memory cell can be sensed and then amplified by a sensor-amplifier (sense-amp) circuit. However, electrical digital signal transmission is usually slower than optical digital signal propagation. Therefore, it would speed up the write and read cycles of the memory cell if either or both of the write and read cycles can be performed optically. As a result, there is a need for an optoelectronic memory device that (a) can be written optically (i.e., by light) or electrically (by applying voltage) and/or (b) can be read optically (i.e., by light) or electrically (by sensing voltage).